Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

espn.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 75 posts

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#61

Post by the_af »

sampullman wrote: post #60
ghaff wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wingsuits aren’t something I really follow. But my understanding it’s an activity that most serious practitioners die sooner or later from a crash/fall.

It's very dangerous, but I think "most serious practitioners die sooner or later" is an exaggeration. The number I see is 1 death per 500 jumps, which I assume is also biased towards people with less experience. It might have been true for the pioneers of the sport though.

I (and probably the commenter you're replying to) meant wingsuit BASE jumping, who is considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world. I think it's borderline suicide. I think its practitioners are thrill seekers who want a higher and higher rush, much like an addiction, which has a high chance of killing them.

It's more dangerous than jumping from a plane with a wingsuit.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#62

Post by ghaff »

the_af wrote: post #61
sampullman wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's very dangerous, but I think "most serious practitioners die sooner or later" is an exaggeration. The number I see is 1 death per 500 jumps, which I assume is also biased towards people with less experience. It might have been true for the pioneers of the sport though.

I (and probably the commenter you're replying to) meant wingsuit BASE jumping, who is considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world. I think it's borderline suicide. I think its practitioners are thrill seekers who want a higher and higher rush, much like an addiction, which has a high chance of killing them. It's more dangerous than jumping from a plane with a wingsuit.

Yes, I'm basically referring to base jumping in a wingsuit though, as I say, it's not an activity I'm remotely interested in or have much knowledge of beyond some videos. Of course, serious/elite practitioners do quite a lot of jumps.

I read the fatality comment somewhere presumably somewhat authoritative but it was a while back.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#63

Post by bratwurst3000 »

neckardt wrote: post #7
blackguardx wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Driving to the mountains is often more dangerous than climbing a mountain. Things change at the elite levels, but that is true for any sport.

The problem with mountains is twofold: Many mountains can be climbed without being elite while exposing yourself to major risk, and for some mountains there is objective hazard that can’t be mitigated. One example of an “easy” but high risk climb is Mt. Rainier in Washington. All you need to go up is a set of crampons and a backpack, no technical mountaineering needed. However the mountain is full of glaciers that ca…

this isnt true. I know some alpinist guides and alpinist. beeing one myself. I can remember the story of maximum 3 deaths and they were not even first encounters. If you are a professional its rly rly rare that you die. accidents with injuries can happen for sure and they are way more common.

the mt Everest hast like 300 deaths on 15.000 successful climbs or so. And thats not an easy one and ridiculous elite.

I know guids in the alps and they do 300 alpinist tour day a year. So how come allmost all are alive and their friends etc. For sure they know people that know poeple or colleges that died by accidents , mostly avalanches and loose rocks, but as said rly rly rare.

but on the other hand there are many deaths in the alps every year.

The guy in the post seemed well prepared and smart and shit happens and I am sorry for the lost. Very glad his family got an answer.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#64

Post by bratwurst3000 »

dh2022 wrote: post #29
billy99k wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the same with base jumping. I remember watching a documentary on it one time and almost all of the people being interviewed knew multiple people that died during a jump.

I have been thinking about starting to do air gliding. Is this a dangerous sport? How long does it take to get to glide a few miles? Any pointers pointers (books, videos,etc..) to start up? I live nearby Seattle, WA. Thanks!!!

edit:// i thought wingsuit gliding was meant.

hehe a friend wants to do it. He has a trainer. The condition was at least 5000 jumps from plane with parachute . then 3 years training with at least 1000 or more jumps from plane or so….. it was hard and demanding be asured. he is elite lvl in sport. i wouldn’t do it. not because of the danger but because the training to do it safe is to hard.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#65

Post by ted_dunning »

shermantanktop wrote: post #40
bratwurst3000 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

honestly your comment and others are condescending as hell. For sure there are risks that the best planing cant safe one from but this is live. Many sports and adventures are dangerous. Doing a shitload of cocaine or alcohol is way more dangerous and shitty towards society then mountaineering. I am mountaineering and i come from a family of mountaineers. I asure you usually those people are very aware of what they ar…

No condescension intended. I think I understand the appeal, in the same way I understand Jack London stories, Joseph Conrad novels, Survivor, Fight Club, and that bear movie guy. We’re too civilized, we’re hothouse flowers, and a little danger makes you feel alive. Especially if you are raised with traditional masculine values. If you could have the same solitude, sweeping views, natural beauty, cameraderie, etc., bu…

It would have many of the same appeals. But it really isn't possible to replicate without being in the high peaks. Car camping and backpacking have some of the appeal, but not nearly as intensely.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#66

Post by SpicyUme »

snowwrestler wrote: post #12

If you liked this story, you might like the documentary “Torn,” which was made by children of Alex Lowe, a top mountaineer who disappeared in an avalanche and then his body was found years later.

Another is Eiger Obsession Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father By John Harlin III. His father died attempting a route on the Eiger when he was a kid. Later in life he climbed it while his own kids were around the same age. I thought he wrote pretty well about his father's drive and how it impacted his family and his life.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#67

Post by stemos »

alecthomas wrote: post #50
prmoustache wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In that particular story, I understand the daughter and son were already adults.

They were not. The daughter is 31 and her father went missing 22 years earlier.

No, according to the article, she was already 31 in 2002.

> In 2002, at age 31, she'd gotten her degree to teach music around the time that Bill announced to the family that he was going to try to climb Huascarán.

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#68

Post by bratwurst3000 »

stagger87 wrote: post #49
crazygringo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a citation for that? In my personal experience, that does not seem true. I have a number of friends who have been seriously injured climbing, e.g. from large rocks falling from above, presumably loosened by water freezing and expanding over the winter. I don't know anyone who's gotten into an accident on their trip to or from climbing. Car accidents are already pretty rare overall, and driving to/from cli…

Even a cursory glance of mortality rates for driving vs mountaineering show orders of magnitude higher rates for mountaineering. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6843304/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in...

? this is people dying in the alps and show how safe mountaineering is.

„ For France, Soulé et al. reported approximately 25 fatalities per year, calculated for a 4 year period, with a slight predominance of traumatic (approximately 45%) versus non-traumatic accidents (approximately 35%) and nearly 20% disappearances „

The Mont blanc is in france and one of the most climbed mountains in the world.

I think this „ many people die while mountaineering“ is bragging or watching to much social media

Re: 'I found your dad': The mystery of a missing climber

#69

Post by dan-robertson »

philxor wrote: post #13

Read this a couple weeks ago when it came out. Great story, but yeah when having kids and a family takes another sort of person to still want to pursue those adventures. But some cannot just sit still and feel the need to push their endeavors to the highest limit.

It’s maybe a bit different when the kids are adults, as I think was the case here.
Post reply on HN